情怀

• Pinyin: qíng huái
• Hanzi breakdown: 情 = 忄+ 青 (feeling); 怀 = 忄+ 褱 (cherish/bosom)

Meaning

Sentiment; deep-seated emotional attachment; the cherished feelings and inner values one holds toward a cause, place, or era. An elevated disposition of principled feeling.

More literary and elevated than 情感. Implies idealistic emotional investment: 家国情怀 (love of country and homeland), 故乡情怀 (nostalgia for one's hometown), 文学情怀 (devotion to literature). Widely used in media, political speeches, and literary contexts.

Examples

1. 这位诗人一生笔耕不辍，字里行间无不流露出深厚真挚的家国情怀。 The poet wrote tirelessly all his life, and every line reveals a deep, sincere devotion to his country and its people.
2. 她对乡村教育的情怀令她毅然放弃大城市的优厚待遇，回到家乡执教三十年。 Her commitment to rural education led her to give up generous opportunities in a big city and return home to teach for thirty years.
3. 那一代青年人怀揣着改变世界的情怀，投身于轰轰烈烈的社会变革之中。 That generation of young people carried a desire to change the world and threw themselves into sweeping social change.

Usage Guide

Context: literature, patriotism, values, media

Tone: elevated

Do Say

• 一个真正有情怀的企业家，不仅着眼于利润，更将社会责任与长远价值置于首位。(A genuinely principled entrepreneur focuses not only on profit but places social responsibility and long-term value first.)
• 他对古典文学的情怀自幼年便已萌发，数十年来从未消减分毫，愈老愈醇。(His deep attachment to classical literature took root in childhood and has not diminished in the slightest over the decades — if anything, it deepens with age.)

Don't Say

• 我对这部电影有情怀 — use 情感 or 怀念 for personal nostalgia; 情怀 implies a broader, principled idealistic devotion rather than a simple personal attachment to a film or object

Origin & History

情 (emotion/feeling) + 怀 (bosom/cherish) — feelings one cherishes deeply in the heart

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal